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The Marlborough Arms reviews

I frequented the Marlborough Arms as a poor student for the two-for-one meals. They were bad, except for some inexplicable reason the three cheese pasta. Eventually, I decided that drinking out of dirty glasses and putting up with the decidedly tawdry furnishings and atmosphere was not for me. You'll never find me at the Marlborough Arms again!

Horrible stuffy dirty place. (I saw a mouse) microwaved food and disinterested staff. My glass was dirty and the manager was totally disinterested. Plenty of other places to go in the area. See you there.

I was looking for somewhere to meet a friend for a drink near tottenham crt road and I found this in a google search. I was a bit apprehensive as I read the last reviews but honestly they couldn't have been more wrong. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly especially considering it's so central. They have recently had a change of management and the staff are really welcoming (and the manager very charming). I would definitely recommend this fab pub.

Great pub , came last week with the family for a Christmas get together , had dinner which was lovely , service was fast and efficient , all in all a nice evening . friendly bar staff , def visit again

The Marlborough arms held our work party, the buffet they laid on was amazing as was the service, the food was well presented and plenty off throughout the night and tasted great, we had our "own" bar staff who kept checking on us throughout the night, taking drink orders, and ensured that we had everything. This was a surprise as we held it last year at the marlborough and it was ok then, and this year amazing. Understand there has been a change of manager and he's the one responsible for this, so a big thankyou to you and your team, we will certainly be back very soon.

Please do not frequent this pub.It's not that the place is terrible - it feels like a cosy boozer - it's that we got treated so shockingly unbelievably badly on Saturday night that I hope this place gets boycotted. It won't happen but I'll tell the story anyway:I had booked the back dining room for my party. I rang to say there would be 20-30 people, the manager told me that was fine and that I'd still have the back dining room. Two weeks later, we arrive, and none of the staff know about it. Not only do they not know about it, they swear quite loudly and stomp around in front of us when they find out. Nice.A massive argument ensures with the NEW manager who informs us she 'wouldn't have taken on a booking for less than 40'. Erm, OK, but someone else did, you have to honour it unless you tell us otherwise. She walks off without saying anything. No apology. Doesn't come back. Eventually, we get the dining room. Then we start ordering food. It takes ages. It comes without cutlery. Someone else ordered ham and eggs and it came without eggs. The manager tried to tell us that's how they always do it (!).On a number of occasions, the staff barged past us and almost knocked people off their feet, they were having loud arguments behind the bar, swearing, and not even disguising their disdain at actually having to serve people beer.All in all - horrendous service, and all these people, especially the female manager, deserve their jobs to be given to people who deserve them. The bar was covered in dirty glasses and half eaten food. Zero rating - this experience made me really angry. We actually complained to them as we left, to the two senior staff. I told them that whilst I'd had a lovely night (due to my friends not the pub) their service and demeanor and attitude was shocking and we suggested to them that they should have treated us better as we were paying customers. The barman said "We don't follow a customer is always right policy". How rude.

What makes The Marlborough Arms stand out is the beer. There's a decent selection of proper bitters instead of the usual mass produced stuff. Food is standard, plentiful and good value. Service in my experience can be slow. The Marlborough Arms is one of my favourite pubs in the area though.

The Marlborough Arms, like many of the pubs around UCL, is merely average. It's location on a main throughfare means that it can get quite busy in the evenings, but this is offset by the fact that it's fairly large and that the drinks are marginally cheaper than its rivals.

While the food is reasonably priced at The Marlborough Arms, it takes ages to arrive and isn't worth waiting for. Like many pubs in the area, it's a place you go if you don't have the energy to go further afield.

The Marlborough Arms is full of character and full of punters. Try this busy central London pub if you want somewhere with a bit of atmosphere and a well priced lunch, but beware the occasionally slow service.

The Venue
This Taylor Walker pub down the road from UCL is a pretty big, grand boozer; not only is its main drinking area large with high ceilings and pillars, there’s also a separate dining room decked out like a Victorian living room. The overall décor is traditional and quite typical for this chain of pubs: mostly dark wood panelling, chandeliers, gas lamp-style lights and frilly red curtains. It’s a style reminiscent of a London theatre. There are lots of tables, at least 20, with plenty of seating, though if you’re after a cosy afternoon sprawled out on a sofa, there are only a couple to choose from, with the majority of furniture consisting of those high wooden chairs you have to climb up onto.

Though it’s within walking distance of Oxford Street and The British Museum, this pub doesn’t pander to tourists in the same way many of its neighbours do. There is a large painting of what appears to be the British aristocracy cavorting outside another pub but the Marlborough Arms hasn’t gone in for the glut of London photographs and traditional memorabilia that others in the area display.

The Atmosphere
Thanks to its proximity to the tube, the university and the busiest shopping streets in London, The Marlborough Arms gets busy. At lunchtime or on a Friday night you can expect it to be heaving with locals and tourists, and though the staff are friendly, service can be slow, with three- or four-long queues at the bar forming even on a weekday afternoon. Though the university is nearby, The Marlborough Arms tends to attract an older crowd – probably postgrads and trainee nurses from the UCL hospital – rather than freshers.

The Food
They offer the usual Taylor Walker menu: wild boar sausage roll (£3.79) and Iberico ham croquettes (£3.49) for starters, and the Big Ben burger with cheese, bacon, egg and onion rings (£10.49) and scampi and chips (£8.49) for mains. The chef’s specials displayed on the blackboard all sound good but the crowning glory has to be the desserts: cookie dough cheesecake and chocolate and salted caramel torte.

The Drink
Prices are consistent across the board at Taylor Walker pubs, and a glass of house wine is £3.69. The Marlborough Arms is one of the chain’s participating ‘World Beer’ pubs, so it offers the likes of Brooklyn Lager, the Belgian Liefmans Fruitesse and the Scottish Punk IPA. On tap you’ll find Peroni, Kronenbourg, Guinness and Doom Bar.

The Last Word
There are a few pubs in these Bloomsbury backstreets all vying for the custom of the local students, but The Marlborough Arms feels like the most traditional of the lot. It’s a simple, classic London pub with friendly service and a constant buzz of chatter, but the lack of comfy seating means it’s probably not the sort of place you’re likely to hole up in for a boozy afternoon.